Olga is a beautiful Russian countess and member of the French Resistance; Jules is a French-Nazi collaborator who is assigned to investigate her case; and Helmut is a handsome, high-ranking, yet naïve German SS officer who once fell madly in love with Olga and meets her again when she is shipped to a concentration camp. While they recount their stories, PARADISE drifts between the bloody end of World War II and the gilded, halcyon days when their destinies first crossed. Victim, bystander, or monster – Konchalovsky collapses these identities, offering a new perspective on the Holocaust. Shot in stunning black and white, the film depicts the morally complex choices that one must make during the darkest of times.

DVD Features

"Russian veteran Andrei Konchalovsky is on robust form in this richly monochrome, perspective-rotating Holocaust drama."

Guy Lodge, Variety

Highest Rating

"... persuasively acted, elegantly shot in black and white and altogether a handsome prestige period production..."

Jonathan Romney, Screen International

Highest Rating

"...the great Russian DoP Alexander Simonov...works chiaroscuro wonders with what the end credits identify as a combination of 35mm and 16mm stock, his 4:3 black-and-white images and complex lighting set-ups often harking back to golden-age monochrome cinematography. "

Neil Young, The Hollywood Reporter

Gallery

Awards & Recognition

WinnerSilver Lion for Best DirectorVenice Film Festival

WinnerBest Screen PlayMar del Plata Film Festival

WinnerBest ActressGijon Int'l. Film Festival

WinnerBest CinematographyGijon Int'l. Film Festival

Official SelectionChicago Int'l. Film Festival

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